Date: 12/2
Now that Orientation is over, I thought I'd just sum up some of my
favorite moments. These may or may not have made it into the previous
postings, but they are moments that I will remember and look back
fondly on. I think giving them and the people involved in one last
shout out is appropriate.
1. Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie
Thanks to the wonderfulness that is gloablization, Costcos are present
in some of the bigger cities here in Korea. And thanks to the thought
people like Amanda and Tom on Friday an impromptu Thanksgiving Dinner
Dessert Party was thrown. I was walking back to the room when my
lesson plan group person (amanda) asked me if I wanted any pumpkin
pie. I had just told her that this was my first holiday away from
family (at least in Korea) and that it had been a rough day. And like
a good American, I hear the words "pumpkin pie" and my whole attitude
changes. "Really?!" She explains that on her and her husbands way to
Orientation, they were gripping over the fact that it was on a holiday
(not a Korean holiday so it doesn't really matter) but nonetheless, a
home holiday and they thought, "Wel, we're going to be me some pumpkin
pie" (in probably slightly better, more grammatical English.) So they
bought enough to share. So in the lobby of the NIIED dormatory they
started to pass out some pie. They only had chopsticks to cut the pie
with so it was a little messy, and plates were discovered until about
half the pie was gone, but it was probably one of the coolest moments.
Since it was right after Korean class, all these people were coming
back into the dorms which means there loads of Americans walking by.
And they all zero-ed in on the pie and went, "Oh my god, Pumpkin pie!
Can I have some?" It was a real surreal moment where i look around
and all I see are Americans (the heterogenous grouping that we are)
and I actually felt a kinship with them. I didn't know these people,
and I knew I would probably never see them again, but it was a moment
of shared holiday. It was very special.
2. Sun Hyewoo's Speech
I loved listening to the first lecturer give his speech about the
history/culture of Korea. Since I had always hear the tale of
Japanese and Korean love/hate relationship through a Japanese
perspective or a neutral American (which, is kind of an oxymoron) it
was very interesting to hear it from their side. It came off very
interesting. He was trying to sound humble, but he's talking about
the autrocities that are committed during war times against his
people. It was a unique insight into some of the Korean way of
thinking. I heard later some people saying that his message was all
villifying the Japaense, and I really don't know where they got that
impression. I thought he handled the topics very well. He would
discuss them and sort of randomly end his speech to go on to a new
topic so you really had to draw your own opinions.
3. Meeting everyone.
Being in a foreign country where you so OBVIOUSLY stick out really
pushes a need for networking. And just having the chance to meet a
bunch of other foreigners was probably one of the most benefitial
things about Orientation. The fact that we were thrown together, had
all the same lecturers (but were in different classes so that we could
talk about the lecturers afterwards with new people), all having the
same impulse to go get some nice dinner and play around in Seoul, etc,
it just made you meet and get to know new people. Some of it was
good, some interactions not so good. There were people I want to
strive to stay in contact with, while other people I will not try to
meet up with again. But it was good to meet those people anyway. We
jokingly referred to it as Speed Dating. You have dinner with
someone, sit next to a new person in a lecture, strike up a
conversation about whatever, sit next to someone on a bus, whatever,
and you literally have a short "date" with that person. You can
usually tell very quickly that you want to hang out with them again,
or you don't. If you do, you have breakfast with them the next
morning. It was exhausting because you were constantly adapting to
new people, but at the same time it was a lot of fun.
4. Developing MPD in Korea.
So one of the lecturers used this phrase and I'm going to steal it
because it is so unbelievably true--especially for me. "You come to
Korea and develop Multiple Personality Disorder." I have always been
someone to talk to myself--as strange as it sounds. But, coming to
Korea, it is a whole new level. Because suddenly you're in an
environment where the only person who speaks English is...yourself.
At school, for example, you sit at your desk in the teachers room and
there is only Korean floating through the airwaves. You walk home and
all the signs are in Korean (neon-flashing, pyschodelic Korean). You
might have one (or two, if you are lucky) teachers who generally speak
good English, but other than that you are on your own. (I'm excluding
when you meet up with foreigner friends). And as much as you love
your school (hopefully) it is a little isolating. And as good of
English as the Korea teachers do or don't speak, it is exhausting for
them to hold a conversation with you in a second language. So you
really can't ever depend on them for a good, solid, sit-down, and
enjoy yourself talk. So...what do you do? You talk to yourself.
Literally. I thought it was just me until this Orientation, until one
of the lecturers pointed it out. He said that he's really glad he
likes himself because that's who he talks to the most. He came over
with his then-girlfriend, now wife, so at least he had another English
speaker inthe house, but he said it blows him away when people come
over here alone. He talked about how people probably think he's lost
a few nuts and bolts. But it was really interesting because I am
going through that exact same thing. For example, lets say I bomb
teaching a lesson. It happens to everyone, especially the first time
you teach a class. Well, in my head I get voices that are sympathetic
to me bombing, I get voices that talk about doing better next time, I
talk to myself about ways to improve, and how some students are just
little devils and thank god that I don't have to teach them again for
another week, and on and on it goes. I have a fun on conversation with
myself. Which, as I'm typing this, really makes me seem like I'm
going crazy, but it's a copying mechanism.
5. Korean-isms Lost in Translation
So, on Monday I had to rehearse the closing ceremony at 10 pm at night. I head to the auditorium, and I'm pretty tired so I basically threw on the hoodie they gave me, and with jeans and some tennis shoes. I grabbed my gloves (because it's freaking cold), my cell phone, room key and something else, and shove them into the pocket at the front of my hoodie. I make it to the auditorium with a little confusion (the front door was locked so I basically had to wait until a Korean walked by and then she took me inside through a side door). I walked up to the group of Asians waiting in front of the auditorium. There was HaeSol (my class leader), the other young college graduates, and the head director of the orientation: Ms Kim. Ms Kim takes one look at me and goes, "Oh, what happened?" I am a little thrown off by this question, "Hmm? What?" "You're stomach...it so large! You very fat!" I have heard of these comments before, and when I look down at myself, I realize I am quiet casually dressed and my pouch is overstuffed with things. I pull out my gloves and go, "Full pockets." She nods and says, "Our food good, but do not eat too much. Being fat...bad." I realize a little later that the other times I had seen her I was a little more dressed up--which means my clothes were more form fitting. I know Koreans are quiet blunt, and most of the time, things that are spoken in English are lost in translation, but still...having someone ask you why you are much larger than that afternoon is quiet fun. I wish I had had a camera on my face. It would have been a funny picture.
6. Learning some snipets of the Korean language.
I have been actively attempting to try and study the Korean alphabet.
But it is not easy. And what i have taught myself is enevitably
wrong. This is because the romanization of the Korean alphabet is not
accurate--or I cannot read it accurately. I almost wish everyone
would learn the Intenrational Phoentic Alphabet so that the sounds
could more accurately be displayed, but alas, this will not happen.
So, when I look at the romanization of some of the characters of
Korean, I read them outloud wrong. Here's what I mean:
The Vowels in Korean go as follows:
Korean Romanization Actual Phonetic sound
ㅓ- a ah
ㅕ- ya yah
ㅏ- eo oh (as on song)
ㅑ- yeo yoh
ㅜ- o short u (as in tune)
ㅠ- yo yu
ㅗ- u long u ( as in you)
ㅛ- ye "you"
ㅡ- eu uh (as in put)
ㅣ- i long ee ( as in meet)
Now...learning these by yourself is very hard if you dn't have a way
to really know what the sounds are like. Plus, some letters' songs
are simply not in the English language. For example:
ㄱ this is a mix between g and k
ㅂ a mix between b and p (not quiet b and not quiet p)
ㄷsame with d and t
ㅈand a mesh of a j sound and a cha sound
ㄹ mix between l and r
Then there are sounds that basically are the same, just with more accents
ㄷ and ㄸ for example.
So, to have someone just direct drills with us was helpful--if not monotonous.
There loads more moments like these, but it was just a pleasure to
experience them. I know I won't remember all of these, but I know that
it will be fun to look back on my stressful time of Epik Orientation
and just remember. It was an experience, and that's basically what
i'm here to collect.
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